by Regina Duke
Sara decided to look in the back yard one more time before calling the police. She was hoping Russ would arrive before she had to do that. It wasn’t the first time that Toby had gone missing. He just had no sense of safety, no way to understand that he mustn’t open doors and amble away. Not that other four-year-olds did, but they managed to make more noise when they played. At least, that was how Sara consoled herself. She wasn’t really sure anymore. It had been twenty-three years since she had a four-year-old in the house.
She went back through the gate and made sure the latch caught when she closed it. “Perimeter check,” she said out loud, hoping that the sound of her voice would draw Toby out if he was hiding. Rose bushes and lilacs and penstemons and cone flowers, all the beautiful perennials that gave her so much joy, were now just obstacles, hiding places, mounds of plant life that might obscure Toby’s location. “Here comes Grammy, checking for Toby.” She forced a lightness in her voice as she peered behind every plant. She pulled lilac branches away from the fence and wended her way between hanging willow branches.
When she got to the storage shed, she realized she hadn’t looked inside. “Toby? Toby, are you hiding?”
Russ’s voice caught her off guard. “Sara? I’m opening the gate!”
Sara’s hand shot to her chest. She was still holding her cell. “That was fast.”
“I broke a few speed laws.”
“I didn’t hear your SUV.”
“I had to park across the street. Any luck?”
“I was just about to check the shed. I forgot to look there earlier.” She shook her head, exasperated with herself. “I get so rattled when it comes to Toby.”
Russ had fixed the shed doors for Sara less than a week before. They had been sticking for months. He had waxed the guides and adjusted the angle of the hang until she could open them with one finger.
Today Toby had discovered that he could, too.
“Toby!” Relief flooded Sara. She wanted to scoop him up in her arms, but feared that would only upset him. Instead, she knelt beside him. “What are you doing out here? Grammy fixed your toast inside.”
Toby was clutching a dog collar, jiggling it up and down.
Sara stood up. She looked stricken. “He was looking for Bailey.” Bailey was her golden retriever. He had died a year before, but Toby never stopped looking for him. “I put his bowl and bed out here because Toby kept wanting to nap on it.”
Russ nodded. “Maybe it’s time to get another dog.”
Sara took a breath and let it out wearily. “I’m half afraid to. What if it doesn’t get along with Toby?”
“Let’s get him inside,” said Russ. He stopped for a moment and eyed Sara carefully. “You’re pretty shaken up. You get him ready, and I’ll do the driving. First, his school, and then I’ll drop you at the office and go get the girls.”
“I’m really sorry about all this, Russ.”
Russ shrugged. “Could be worse. You haven’t asked me to hire Meredith yet.”
Sara’s expression gave her away.
“Oh. Sorry, Sara. I was trying to make a joke. Come on. Let’s get this little guy inside. Does he still scream when cell phones ring?”
“Yes. Thanks for remembering. We’ll have to turn them off until we drop him at day care. I can’t bear it when he starts screaming in the car.”
Russ headed inside. He didn’t want Sara to see the irritation he was feeling about Meredith’s request. Every time she or Sara brought it up, it reminded him that his father did not want to let go of the reins.
He made a disgusted noise. Truth be told, his father didn’t trust him to run the business. He still saw Russ as a boy, a teenager. Russ thought his engagement to Terri would improve his father’s opinion of him, but so far nothing had changed.
Russ reached into his hoodie pocket for his cell phone. Best to turn it off now. He had been in the car before with Toby when a strange noise had set the child off. It almost sent Russ off the road.
He wondered for a moment about the wisdom of having children. So many things could go wrong. But then he thought of Terri, and all his doubts evaporated. She might be having a little trouble with Angel, but overall she was so great with the dogs he knew she would be a terrific mother. And infants don’t weigh a hundred pounds.
He pulled up short in Sara’s kitchen when he spotted the blond mustachioed man in the living room.
They spoke in unison.
“Who the hell are you?!”
*I hope you enjoyed this preview of The Woof in the Wedding Plans. If you would like to read the book in its entirety, it’s available on Kindle and Nook.*
Other Books by Regina Duke
Calin’s Cowboy (sweet romance & cozy mystery)
North Rim Delight (romantic suspense)
The Woof in the Wedding Plans (novella, mystery & romance)
Trickster and Other Stories (SF and horror)
The Wedding Wager (Colorado Billionaires: Book 1)
The Wedding Hazard (Colorado Billionaires: Book 2)
The Wedding Venture (Colorado Billionaires: Book 3)
Get Regina’s Books on Kindle and Nook.
* * *
If you love dogs and enjoy reading about them, check out:
Linda White’s Loving the Sensitive Dog on Kindle.
Linda White’s Sir Darby: Another Sensitive Dog on Kindle.
Find out more about dogs at www.LindaLouWrites.com
About the Author
Regina Duke has walked the beaches of Spain, shared a Mexican shower with a four-inch-long cockroach, and heated her 10th floor British walk-up hotel room by running hot water in the bath! Back home in northern Nevada, she writes fiction from romance to cozy mystery to quiet horror and soft science fiction. Regina’s alter-ego Linda White sometimes writes dog books about her talented papillons. They’re earning titles in rally, obedience, agility, and tricks.
For fiction, please visit her at www.ReginaDuke.com or contact her via email at [email protected]. And for non-fiction, www.LindaLouWrites.com.
